The problem with having so many inexperienced players? The wild mood swings. The utter inability to sense when trouble is brewing. The lack of control when a game turns. The sight of Thiago Silva appearing to have an existential crisis as Chelsea’s composure evaporated and Luton poured forward, delivering cross after cross and threatening to steal the unlikeliest of points.
For Mauricio Pochettino, the hope will be that surviving the end to this wild encounter helps his inconsistent youngsters grow. They are capable of playing brilliant football but have to realise there is no room for complacency at this level. After taking control through a fine double from Cole Palmer and another goal for a resurgent Noni Madueke, Chelsea almost paid a heavy price for making the mistake of thinking that Luton would give up after going 3-0 down.
Luton’s resilience is not a secret. Rob Edwards’s side have already beaten Newcastle at home, drawn with Liverpool and given Arsenal and Manchester City a run for their money. They remain in the bottom three but they never lie down. They showed Chelsea that winning games requires more than acting the part when everything is going your way.
The difference in those final 20 minutes, when Luton hit back with goals from Elijah Adebayo and Ross Barkley, was that Chelsea slacked off. They suffered because they stopped closing down Luton’s crossers. Silva, Chelsea’s most experienced player, was screaming at his teammates to wake up as the game edged into six minutes of added time and another ball flashed across the six-yard box.
Still, although Chelsea have not kept a clean sheet on the road since 2 October, at least they finished a dismal year by ending a run of four consecutive away defeats. The questions over his side’s leadership notwithstanding, Pochettino saw evidence of his young team learning and building valuable momentum during the first 70 minutes.
Chelsea remain in 10th place, the top four still out of reach, and this was the first time they had won back-to-back league games since early October. The talent is undoubtedly lurking within this squad. Is the consistency?
For 70 minutes this was a step in the right direction. Chelsea took control from the start and Madueke, preferred to Raheem Sterling after a goalscoring cameo against Crystal Palace, immediately looked dangerous on the right. Conor Gallagher tested Thomas Kaminski from close range.
The financial mismatch told. Armando Broja, keen to prove that Chelsea have no need to sign a new striker in January, impressed up front. Nicolas Jackson caused problems down the left.
Barkley, full of tricks and flicks against his old side, looked to steady Luton with some silky turns. Such confidence was not for everyone, though. After 12 minutes Palmer, back from suspension, spun and sent Jackson away.
Jackson shot at Kaminski from a tight angle. Issa Kaboré gave the ball back to Palmer. In this era of playing out from the back sometimes a hoof will do. Palmer punished the defender by lashing a shot into the far corner.
Chelsea weathered a brief spell of pressure and strolled into a 2-0 lead shortly before half-time. It all felt too easy when Levi Colwill advanced down the left and Palmer found Madueke. He stood Amari’i Bell up and tried to cut inside, then surprised the defender by moving outside, making space for a right-foot shot that soared powerfully inside Kaminski’s near post.
Luton had more urgency after two half-time changes, Chiedozie Ogbene and Tahith Chong replacing Jacob Brown and Kaboré, but Chelsea remained in control. Djordje Petrovic was commanding in goal, repeatedly claiming crosses. Jackson, who is off to represent Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations, sent Palmer through to round Kaminski and walk the ball into the net after tricking a defender.
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Somehow, Luton roared back at Chelsea. Adebayo headed against the bar and had a goal ruled out. Axel Disasi crumbled next to Silva. Chelsea’s full-backs, Malo Gusto and Colwill, began to feel dizzy. Barkley finally got his goal, heading in a corner.
Petrovic made a stunning stop from the substitute Carlton Morris. He made another when Ogbene crossed for Alfie Doughty, but Adebayo smashed the rebound in. Luton pushed again, making it even more physical. The crosses kept coming in. Chelsea were relieved at the end.
